


Baby Steps

by Kestrealbird



Series: Dysfunctional Family [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Fluff, Fuck Canon, I have a lot of feels about this family, Infinity War never happened, Mild Angst, Mild Language, Multi, Natasha/Brunhilde if you see that way, everyone appears but they dont all speak, found family snippets, the pairings are very background but still there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-29
Updated: 2018-04-29
Packaged: 2019-04-29 21:28:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14481552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kestrealbird/pseuds/Kestrealbird
Summary: Short snippets showing life after Thanos' defeat as everyone tries to fit in with eachother again. Primarily focused on Thor and how he feels about Loki





	Baby Steps

**Author's Note:**

> I saw Infinity War the day it came out, I cried 5 fucking times so I started writing this today and I also have other shit planned out for this dysfunctional family including some Good Dad Loki later on but for now have these snippets because I needed something hopeful after that trainwreck

“Your brother,” Steve says, flopping head first onto Tony’s very expensive sofa, “is a menace.”

Thor doesn't even bother looking up from his book when he replies, deadpan, “how tragic.” Steve huff's but doesn't say anything more on the subject and Thor lets him stew in the silence for his own amusement. Loki may not be a wanted criminal anymore - because apparently helping them save the universe from Thanos is enough to have him pardoned for most of his crimes - but he isn’t exactly a ‘hero’ either, and, in Bruce’s own words, he’s more “Chaotic Good with a side of Inconvenient” if anything these days.

Unfortunately, Thor is really the only one whose used to how Loki _works_ (ignoring those years where they drifted apart and no longer read each other like open books because really why would they _want_ to remember that?) which means that everyone else is, quite frankly, stumbling in the dark to keep up with him. Of course none of them could ever _really_ hope to understand how he and his brother work, given that they have more than a thousand years’ worth of experience compared to the Midgardians.

They’re trying, though, and that's the main thing.

The only real incident they’d had with accepting Loki into their group was when Clint shot him in the eye and then thoroughly freaked out over it because he hadn't thought that Loki would actually _be there in the flesh_. But, you know, baby steps and all.

Steve rolls off the sofa onto the floor and stares at the ceiling. “He turned my suit bright pink,” he mutters.

“Is that all?”

“No. He also put it in a hot wash so now it’s shrunk and I can't wear it.”

Thor raises a brow. “It was too tight on you anyway. I doubt the size makes much of a difference.”

“Bucky didn’t think it was too tight.”

“That’s because Bucky can't think straight around you,” Quill chimes, walking in from the open window. Steve glares at him for the pun but still doesn't move from his spot on the floor. Maybe his back has finally given out.

“We have doors, you know.” Quill shrugs and goes straight to Tony’s liquor cabinet which, well, fair enough really.

“So,” he says, after downing three glasses of scotch and throwing a face at the taste each time, “what happened while I was off helping whoever-the-fuck and getting paid?”

“Loki turned Steve’s outfit bright pink and shrunk its size.”

Quill nods. “It was too tight for you anyway.”

“Why are you here Quill?” Steve sounds like he’s thoroughly given up on this debate and really wants to be left alone. Either that or he’s going through a midlife crisis over Tony’s ceiling decorations.

“Why don't you people ever call me Peter? Why is it always Quill?”

“We already have a Peter,” they both reply.

“Besides,” Steve says, “your team calls you Quill all the time and you don't seem to mind.”

“I’m their captain. It’s respectful.” He sniffs. Thor is kind enough not to tell him that Rocket doesn't actually remember his first name, and Quill just sounds less pretentious than ‘Starlord’. “And anyway, I’m clearly the superior Peter here.”

“Hey FRIDAY do you mind telling Tony that when he gets back?”

“ _Of course Mr.Rogers._ ”

“Cheers.”

Thor ignores the bickering going on behind him, and picks up his phone just as it chimes with a message that makes him give such a sigh he can already feel Bucky’s sympathy.

_Peter Parker (13:45 pm): Mr Thor I think your brother upset Dr. Strange again_

_Thor Odinson (13:45 pm) I’ll be right there_

_Peter Parker (13:46 pm) please hurry T^T_

~~~

Loki ‘upsetting’ Dr.Strange is a bit of an understatement, in Thor’s opinion, given that they’re currently in the middle of some kind of magical pissing contest. He silently turns to a very nervous looking Peter - fresh out of school for the day going by his uniform - and understands two things through the boys quick babbling.

One: It is, in fact, Dr.Strange who upset Loki first by implying that his magic was rather lacklustre and Two: Loki took exception to that and called the Doctor a ‘mindless quack’ which then, naturally, lead to the current predicament.

Well. How to deal with this then?

“Er, Thor -” Bruce approaches him from the side, wringing his sleeves with a grimace - “maybe we should just...let them figure it out? You know like an old-fashioned duel or something?”

“Didn’t duels like that usually end in death?” Peter’s face looks a little white at the idea so Thor tries to ease him by helpfully saying, “only some of the time!”

The boy looks just a little bit sick. “Maybe Wanda can-”

“Unlikely.” Thor gives a helpless sort of shrug at the looks he gets in return. “Loki is very proud of his Seidr, you see, so I doubt he’ll let such a slight against his abilities stand unpunished.”

Peter leans over to Bruce and whispers, “Seidr?”

“Magic.”

“Oh.”

Dr.Strange is very strong, Thor knows, even without the Time Stone to aid him (which was destroyed with all the rest when Thanos died) but Loki has far more experience, and now that his reserves have filled up again Thor doesn't really think that Strange can hold his own for long.

The fight ends when Loki freezes Strange into place for a solid thirty seconds and then, in his own backwards way of a compliment, tells him “well you’re not a complete quack at least” and then nods at Thor before simply vanishing from the room entirely.

The Doctor, at least, accepts his defeat with a modicum of begrudging decency and pride, and only a minor amount of insults.

Bruce places a hand on Thor’s shoulder, looking him in the eyes with a sad sympathy. “He’d be a good teacher for Wanda, you know.”

Thor tenses under his hands, breathing sharply through his nose as memories of his mother are pushed to the forefront of his mind. “Yes,” he agrees, quietly. Peter stays silent, recognizing the signs of grief, and awkwardly hugs Thor’s arm, hoping it might help, if only a little.

His mother had always been a wonderful teacher, and sometimes, if her classes were bigger than usual, Loki would help her teach those who wished to learn. Thor, despite his own lack of Seidr, always enjoyed watching them, entranced by the spells that they weaved as easy as if they were braids in someone’s hair.

He wonders if Loki is prepared to be a mentor, and take their mother’s place.

~~~

Their vacation to the Bahamas is entirely Tony’s idea. He proposes it during their “weekly” Movie Night and since none of them really have anything better to do, they all agree that it sounds like a pretty good plan. Even Director Fury tags along for all of an hour before he disappears, as he often does when shenanigans start happening.

“We,” Tony declares, “should go to the beaches shirtless.”

Bruce gives him a _look_.

“What? We have good bodies for a _reason_ , Brucie, we should be allowed to show them off!”

Thor is in the middle of taking off his shirt when he hears Bucky dubiously reply, “even the girls?”

Tony turns to Pepper with rapid speed and not the slightest hint of hesitation. “If you want to go shirtless that’s completely fine I will support you no matter what because I love you but please remember to carry a knife for protection just in case.”

“I’m not doing that.” She turns away to continue tapping on her IPad, ignoring the fact that Natasha and Brunhilde are also going shirtless.

“That’s completely fair and I love you.”

Pepper finally looks up at him with a semblance of a smile and flashes her ring at him. “You better since we’ve been engaged for over a year.”

“Still working on the wedding plans!” Tony calls over his shoulder, already halfway down the beach.

Peter and Shuri run off into the forest with Okoye and Rhodes, playing something called ‘tag’, and Bruce sticks close to the walkway, talking rapidly with Rocket and Nebula about something or other. T’Challa gets pulled into a water fight with Steve, Bucky, Sam and Clint, and when Thor looks further down the beach he can see Natasha and Brunhilde slyly making bets on the outcome.

He has no idea where Pepper’s disappeared too, but he assumes she’s close enough to keep an eye on Tony just in case. Quill and Gamora are off having a romantic dinner elsewhere on the islands - they deserve a break, he thinks, after everything they’ve gone through - but he has no idea where Drax and Mantis went. Hopefully they don't get lost. Again.

Wanda stayed back in the hotel with Vision, basking in the peace while they can.

Loki, in the meanwhile, has taken up residence under a palm tree, shades covering his eyes as he leans back and sips on a Margarita. It reminds Thor of their much younger days, when things were still simple, and he takes a seat next to his brother, looking out at the their laughing companions on the beach.

Steve is using his shield to pick up water and dump it on Sam’s head. Clint has, apparently, teamed up with T’Challa to dump Bucky’s head under the water. They haven't succeeded yet but he gives them points for creativity.

Loki places his half-empty Margarita onto the floor and says, “Dr.Strange isn't here.”

“He was busy.”

Loki hums. “It seems that he’s alway busy, as of late.”

Thor lets a grin spread across his face and nudges Loki’s arm. “Is that concern I hear in your voice?”

“Surely you know me better than that, brother,” Loki scoffs. “Dying from overwork just isn't interesting is all.”

Thor leans back on his hands, head tilted back to stare at the sun. “Are you suggesting we force him to take a break?”

Loki doesn't answer. His silence is enough for Thor to know that he’s probably told Pepper about it, and that was why she was writing on her IPad earlier. Nobody can say no to Pepper.

“She isn't always the solution to these concerns you know.”

“Neither is brute force.”

“So you’ve told me. Many times in fact.”

“And yet -” Loki turns to him, lips upturned in a smirk - “you still don't always listen.”

Thor shrugs. “You always were the better planner.”

“No. You’re just terrible at lying.”

“So are you, if I can read you this easily.” It’s an honest jest, one that Loki might have laughed at if they were on their own. The brief smile he gets is enough, for now.

“Clearly,” Loki drawls, “I’ve been losing my touch.”

“Villainy was a downward spiral for your skill,” he responds gravely.

Loki takes a long gulp of his drink, projecting a thought into Thor’s mind so he doesn't have to say it out loud.

 _I’m sorry for hurting you_.

Thor has long since forgiven him for all that. They’ve been brothers for over a thousand years, and this isn't the first time they’ve had huge fights and fall outs. It won't be the last, either, even if it might be the worst.

So, to make Loki feel a little less awkward about his apology, Thor cheerfully says, “remember when I threw you at a Troll’s knees and broke your leg?”

“ ‘Get Help’ really is the worst plan you’ve ever come up with.”

Thor grins. “It still works doesn't it?”

Loki gives a sigh, but doesn't argue any further. Thor counts it as a victory.

Naturally, this is when they get attacked by Obligatory Villain No.95 and Thor can distinctly hear Tony screaming, “oh come on!!”

They end up drawing straws to see who gets to deal with their uninvited guest and the task, unfortunately, falls to Loki who glares accusingly at Tony and Rhodes before walking out of their temporary hiding place. It takes him all of ten seconds to subdue the villain, and another fifteen before Steve finally convinces him that slitting said villain’s throat isn't really the proper course of action here.

“Inconvenient,” Bruce mumbles. Nebula awkwardly pats his arm.

The rest of their vacation is largely uninterrupted and Pepper even manages to get Dr.Strange to stay with them for a full afternoon before he fucks off again. All in all it’s by far the most successful break any of them have ever had, and Thor is more than a little smug to see that Loki is slowly finding his equilibrium with everyone.

He’s testing their patience, yes, but only because it’s Loki’s way of seeing how much they’re willing to let him get away with and, of course, how far their trust for him goes right now.

Considering that most of them have been wanted criminals at some point (and some of them still are on certain planets) the trust is pretty high all things considered.

Thor thinks back to what Bruce said to him a few months ago, looks at the way Wanda admires Loki’s skill from a distance, and pulls his brother aside when they get back to the hotel. Loki isn’t all that surprised when Thor tells him, “Bruce and I think that you’d make a great teacher for Wanda, you know.”

His brother looks him in the eyes, silent and curious, and then he looks at Wanda on the other side of the room, at the way her hands shake even when she’s only using magic to make Okoye’s coffee levitate, and quietly responds, “I know. I’ll think about it.”

There’s still a lot that needs to be mended, in this little family of theirs - words that have yet to be spoken - but it’s progress and right now, after everything they’ve been through, progress is all he’s asking for, no matter how small it might be.


End file.
